A City Of San Diego's Environmental Services Department truck empties the recycling bins in a Paradise Valley condominium complex March 3, 2011. For nearly a century, the city of San Diego has provided free trash pick?up for homes on public city streets. Now, facing a giant deficit the city is considering stopping the free service for a few thousand homes that are in the private communities which means several hundred thousand people will still receive the free pick?up. The ones who are being targeted are not happy (Photo by Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
San Diego, California – In response to public backlash, San Diego officials announced Wednesday that they are cutting the proposed new monthly trash fee for single-family homes by about 10%. The revised plan would charge full-service customers $47.59 per month, down from the $53 originally proposed in February.
The scaled-back fees are part of a controversial overhaul triggered by voter approval of Measure B in 2022, which amended the century-old People’s Ordinance and allows the city to begin charging for trash collection. For decades, trash pickup at single-family homes was free.
Smaller-bin customers — those using 35-gallon containers — would now pay $36.72 a month instead of the previously proposed $42. All rates are set to increase in July 2027, with full-service fees rising to $59.42 instead of $65, and small-bin rates increasing to $45.66 instead of $52.
Despite the reduced rates, many residents remain frustrated. Critics say the fees are still nearly double the estimates shared with voters in 2022. Some residents want the city to explore outsourcing to private haulers, a suggestion city officials have dismissed based on the language in Measure B, which mandates continued use of city workers.
San Diego officials argue the changes will help fill a looming $258 million budget gap and save the city’s general fund up to $90 million annually. The new fees would support enhanced services, including weekly recycling pickup, twice-yearly bulky item collection, and bin replacements.
Even with the cuts, San Diego’s proposed fees would remain the second highest in Southern California, trailing only Long Beach, which plans to raise rates to $68.73 by 2026. The median fee among 12 nearby cities is just $32.
To prevent the fees from being imposed, a majority of the 233,000 affected households must submit protest cards — which will be mailed the week of April 21 — before or during a June 9 public hearing.
While officials stress the new rates reflect cost-saving measures and service improvements, some residents, like Lynn Borkenhagen of Point Loma, remain skeptical. “It’s now twice as much as we voted for,” she said.
The San Diego City Council will debate the revised fee proposal at a meeting scheduled for Monday, April 14, at 2 p.m.
